Apparatus for mounting a tool to a power vehicle

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for mounting a tool to a powered vehicle including a support frame, at least one mounting bracket, a threaded shaft, and a carriage assembly. At least one mounting bracket extends from the support frame and is configured to mount to the powered vehicle. The threaded shaft has a first end journaled to the support frame and a second end journaled to the support frame. The carriage assembly has a plurality of connectors and is movingly connected to the support frame and the threaded shaft.

BACKGROUND

Power machines, such as a skid steer loaders, allow for attachment of anassortment of power tools, which are then powered by the hydraulicsystem of the power machine. The tools are typically mounted to thepower machine in one of two ways. First, the tool is fixed to the powermachine so that movement of the tool is affected by operation of thelift arms of the power machine and repeated re-positioning of the powermachine. Second, the tool may be mounted to the power machine in a waythat the tool may be moved along an arc by rotating the tool about avertical axis to reposition the tool without requiring repositioning ofthe entire power machine.

While the ability to move the tool in this fashion is often met withsuccess, at other times, space limitations may make it difficult toaccess a work site if the tool must be moved along an arc or if theentire power machine must be moved. To this end, a need exists for anapparatus for mounting a tool to a power vehicle that allows the tool tobe moved linearly in a transverse direction. It is to such an apparatusthat the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate one or more implementationsdescribed herein and, together with the description, explain theseimplementations. The drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale, andcertain features and certain views of the figures may be shownexaggerated, to scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity andconciseness. Not every component may be labeled in every drawing. Likereference numerals in the figures may represent and refer to the same orsimilar element or function. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an apparatus for mounting a toolto a power machine constructed in accordance with the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 shownattached to a power machine with a tool attached to the apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein in detail, it is to be understood that the inventiveconcepts are not limited in their application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of the components or steps ormethodologies set forth in the following description or illustrated inthe drawings. The inventive concepts disclosed herein are capable ofother embodiments, or of being practiced or carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein is for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed hereinin any way.

In the following detailed description of embodiments of the inventiveconcepts, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide amore thorough understanding of the inventive concepts. However, it willbe apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the inventiveconcepts within the instant disclosure may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known features have not beendescribed in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instantdisclosure.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having,” and any variations thereof, are intendedto cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method,article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements, and may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherently present therein.

Unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive orand not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfiedby anyone of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (ornot present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present),and both A and B is true (or present).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments disclosed herein. This is done merelyfor convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concepts.This description should be read to include one or at least one and thesingular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meantotherwise.

As used herein, qualifiers like “substantially,” “about,”“approximately,” and combinations and variations thereof, are intendedto include not only the exact amount or value that they qualify, butalso some slight deviations therefrom, which may be due to manufacturingtolerances, measurement error, wear and tear, stresses exerted onvarious parts, and combinations thereof, for example.

Finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings, an apparatus 10 constructed in accordancewith the inventive concepts disclosed herein is illustrated. Theapparatus 10 may be used for attaching a power tool to a power vehicle,such a tool 12 and a power vehicle 14 depicted in FIG. 4. The tool 12 isdepicted in FIG. 4 as being a stump grinder, but it will be appreciatedthat the apparatus 10 may be employed with other types of tools, such asplaners, jackhammers or the like. The power vehicle 14 is depicted inFIG. 4 as being a skid steer loader, but it will be appreciated that theapparatus 10 may be employed with other types of power vehicles, such ascompact track loaders, tractors, excavators, truck booms, telehandlers,backhoes, and other equipment booms or hydraulic availability. Broadly,the apparatus 10 may include a support frame 16, a mounting bracket 18configured to mount to the powered vehicle 14, a threaded shaft 20, anda carriage assembly 22 to which the tool 12 may be mounted.

The support frame 16 is generally an elongated structure configured toslidingly support the carriage assembly 22. In one embodiment, thesupport frame 16 may include a first end plate 24, a second end plate26, and a beam 28. The beam 28 may have a top side 30, a bottom side 32,a front side 34, a rear side 36, a first end 38, and a second end 40.The first end 38 of the beam 28 is connected to the first end plate 24,and the second end 40 is connected to the second end plate 26. The firstand second end plates 24 and 26 may be connected to the beam 28 in asuitable way, such as with fasteners or by welding.

The beam 28 may be provided in a variety of shapes and sizes. Forexample, the beam 28 may be rectangular, square, triangular, or otherpolyhedral shape. Also, the length of the beam 28 may be varied. Forexample, the beam 28 may have a length in a range from about two feet toabout seven feet. The beam 28 may be formed of any suitable rigidmaterial, including but not limited to, aluminum, brass, bronze, copper,chromium, iron, steel, carbon steel, titanium, or the like.

In one embodiment, the support frame 16 may have a first guide rail 42extending along the top side 30 of the beam 28 and a second guide rail44 extending along the bottom side 32 of the beam 28 in a parallelrelationship to the first guide rail 42. To maximize travel of thecarriage assembly 22, the first guide rail 42 and the second guide rail44 may extend from the first end 38 of the beam 28 to the second end 40of the beam 28. While two guide rails 42 and 44 have been illustrated,it will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the support frame 16may include only one guide rail. The first guide rail 42 and the secondguide rail 44 may be connected to the support beam 28 by way of screw,bolt, weld, or the like, integrally or, formed as a part of the beam 28.The first guide rail 42 and the second guide rail 44 may be of the samematerial as the beam 28 or they may be a different material.

The mounting bracket 18 extends from a rear side of the support frame16. More particularly, the mounting bracket 18 may extend from the rearside 36 of the beam 28. The mounting bracket 18 may be connected to thebeam 28 by way of screw, bolt, weld or the like. The mounting bracket 18is configured to mount to a powered vehicle, such as the powered vehicle14 shown in FIG. 4. The attachment configuration for such power vehicleis well known to those having ordinary skill in the art and, as such,will not be further described herein.

The threaded shaft 20 has a generally cylindrical form configured to berotatable in a forward direction as well as a backward direction. Thethreaded shaft 20 has a first end 46 journaled to the first end plate 24with a bearing 47 and a second end 48 journaled to the second end plate26 with a bearing 49. The threaded shaft 20 may be in a spaced apart,parallel relationship to the beam 28. In one embodiment, the threadedshaft 20 may be threaded from the first end 46 to the second end 48. Thethreaded shaft 20 may be made of the same material as the beam 28, orthe threaded shaft 20 may be made of a different material.

The carriage assembly 22 has a plurality of connectors 50 for mountingthe tool 12 to the carriage assembly 22. The carriage assembly 22 ismovingly connected to the beam 28 and the threaded shaft 20 in a waythat rotation of the threaded shaft 20 in one direction causes thecarriage assembly 22 to move linearly along the beam 28 and the threadedshaft 20 in a first direction and rotation of the threaded shaft 20 inan opposing direction causes the carriage assembly 22 to move linearlyalong the beam 28 and threaded shaft 20 in an opposing second direction.The carriage assembly 22 may be able to move along the entirety of thethreaded shaft 20 and the beam 28.

In one embodiment, the carriage assembly 22 comprises a carriage frame52, a housing 54 extending from the carriage frame 52 and configured ina way that the threaded shaft 20 extends through the housing 54, and anut 56 positioned in the housing 54 and threadingly engaged with thethreaded shaft 20. The carriage frame 52 has a top side 58, a bottomside 60, and a front side 62. The front side 62 is provided with aplurality of connectors 50 for mounting the tool 12 to the carriageframe 52. In one embodiment, the connectors 50 may be a plurality ofthreaded apertures for receiving threaded fasteners. As best shown inFIG. 3, the housing 54 may include of a plurality of walls 63 a-63 dconstructed to cooperate with the front side 62 of the carriage frame 52to enclose the nut 56 (another wall component opposing wall 63 d is notvisible). The wall 63 d and the opposing wall (not shown) are providedwith a hole (not shown) for receiving the threaded shaft 20. The housing54 may connect to the carriage frame 52 by way of nuts and bolts,screws, welds or the like. The nut 56 may be positioned in the housing54 and may be threadingly engaged with the threaded shaft 20. The nut 56may be threadingly engaged with the threaded shaft 20 in a way thatrotation of the threaded shaft 20 in one direction causes the carriageassembly 22 to move linearly from the first end 38 of the beam 28 towardthe second end 40 of the beam 28 and rotation of the threaded shaft 20in an opposing direction causes the carriage assembly 22 to movelinearly from the second end 40 of the beam 28 toward the first end 38of the beam 28. In one embodiment, the nut 56 is not fixed to thehousing 54, and the housing 54 and the nut 56 are sized so the nut 56 ismoveable relative to the housing 54.

The carriage assembly 22 may further comprise a first plurality ofroller members 64 extending downwardly from the top side 58 of thecarriage frame 52 so as to be rollingly engaged with the first guiderail 42, and a second plurality of roller members 66 extending upwardlyfrom the bottom side 60 of the carriage frame 52 so as to be rollinglyengaged with the second guide rail 44. The first and second plurality ofroller members 64 and 66 may be comprised of a metal or a polymericmaterial. The first and second plurality of roller members 64 and 66 maybe connected to the carriage assembly 22 by way of bolt, screw, nut,weld or the like.

The carriage frame 52 may have a first wear plate 68 connected to thetop side 58 of the carriage frame 52 so as to be in sliding contact withthe first guide rail 42 and a second wear plate 70 connected to thebottom side 60 of the carriage frame 52 so as to be in sliding contactwith the second guide rail 44 (FIG. 3). The first and second wear plates68 and 70 serve to prevent deterioration of the top side 58 and thebottom side 60 of the carriage frame. The first and second wear plate 68and 70 may be constructed of a metal or a polymeric material. The firstand second wear plate 68 and 70 may be connected to the carriage frame52 by way of screw, bolt, or the like.

A first grease port 72 may extend through the top side 58 of thecarriage frame 52 to the first guide rail 42. A lubricant may be appliedto the first guide rail 42 through the first grease port 72 so as todecrease friction between the first plurality of rollers 64, the firstwear plate 68, and the first guide rail 42. A second grease port 74 mayextend through the bottom side 60 of the carriage frame 52 to the secondguide rail 44. A lubricant may also be applied to the second guide rail44 through the second grease port 74 so as to decrease friction betweenthe second plurality of rollers 66, the second wear plate 70, and thesecond guide rail.

A motor 76 with a chain 78 may be mechanically attached to the threadedshaft 20 to rotate the threaded shaft 20 in a forward or backwarddirection. The chain 78 may be mechanically attached to a first gear 80and a second gear 82, such that when the motor 76 turns the first gear80, the chain 78 turns the second gear 82 and the second gear 82 rotatesthe threaded shaft 20 in a forward or backward direction. The motor 76may be positioned on the first end plate 24 or the second end plate 26.The motor 76 can be an electric ball screw-type motor, or other electricmotor, or a hydraulic motor, or a motor powered by air pressure. Themotor 76 may be powered by attachment to the power machine 14 via aplurality of hose couplers 84 in order to provide the motor 76 withhydraulic pressure, air pressure or electricity. Such attachment to apower machine 14 allows the user to control the rotation of the threadedshaft 20 from the power vehicle 14. However, it is appreciated that thethreaded shaft 20 may be rotated by other means such as a hand crank solong as the threaded shaft 20 functions in accordance with the inventiveconcepts discloses herein.

From the above description, it is clear that the inventive conceptsdisclosed and claimed herein are well adapted to carry out the objectsand to attain the advantages mentioned herein, as well as those inherentin the invention. While exemplary embodiments of the inventive conceptshave been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will beunderstood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished withinthe spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed and/or as defined in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for mounting a tool to a poweredvehicle, comprising: a support frame having a top side, a bottom side, afront side, a rear side, a first end, and a second end; at least onemounting bracket extending from the rear side of the support frame, theat least one mounting bracket configured to mount to the poweredvehicle; a threaded shaft having a first end journaled to the first endof the support frame and a second end journaled to the second end of thesupport frame; and a carriage assembly having a plurality of connectorsfor mounting the tool to the carriage assembly, the carriage assemblymovingly connected to the support frame and the threaded shaft in a waythat rotation of the threaded shaft in one direction causes the carriageassembly to move linearly along the support frame and the threaded shaftin a first direction and rotation of the threaded shaft in an opposingdirection causes the carriage assembly to move linearly along thesupport frame and the threaded shaft in an opposing second direction. 2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the carriage assembly comprises: acarriage frame having a top side, a bottom side, and a front side; ahousing extending from the carriage frame and configured in a way thatthe threaded shaft extends through housing; and a nut positioned in thehousing and threadingly engaged with the threaded shaft.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein the nut is moveable relative to thehousing.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the support frame has afirst guide rail extending along the top side thereof from the first endto the second end and a second guide rail extending along the bottomside thereof from the first end to the second end, and wherein thecarriage assembly further comprises: a first plurality of roller membersextending downwardly from the top side of the carriage frame so as to berollingly engaged with the first guide rail; and a second plurality ofroller members extending upwardly from the bottom side of the carriageframe so as to be rollingly engaged with the second guide rail.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4, wherein the carriage frame has a first wear plateconnected to the top side thereof so as to be in sliding contact withthe first guide rail and a second wear plate connected to the bottomside thereof so as to be in sliding contact with the second guide rail.6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the threaded shaft is threaded fromthe first end thereof to the second end thereof.
 7. An apparatus formounting a tool to a powered vehicle, comprising: a first end plate; asecond end plate; a beam having a first end connected to the first endplate and a second end connected to the second end plate, the beamhaving a top side, a bottom side, a front side, and a rear side; a firstguide rail extending along the top side of the beam from the first endto the second end thereof; a second guide rail extending along thebottom side of the beam from the first end to the second end thereof; atleast one mounting bracket extending from the rear side of the beam, theat least one mounting bracket configured to mount to the poweredvehicle; a threaded shaft having a first end journaled to the first endplate and a second end journaled to the second end plate such that thethreaded shaft is in a spaced apart, parallel relationship to the beam;and a carriage assembly movingly connected to the beam and the threadedshaft for linear movement from the first end of the beam toward thesecond end of the beam and for linear movement in a reverse directionfrom the second end of the beam toward the first end of the beam, thecarriage assembly comprising: a carriage frame having a top side, abottom side, and a front side, the front side having a plurality ofconnectors for mounting the tool to the carriage frame; a firstplurality of roller members extending downwardly from the top side ofthe carriage frame so as to be rollingly engaged with the first guiderail; a second plurality of roller members extending upwardly from thebottom side of the carriage frame so as to be rollingly engaged with thesecond guide rail; a housing extending from the carriage frame andconfigured in a way that the threaded shaft extends through housing; anda nut positioned in the housing and threadingly engaged with thethreaded shaft in a way that rotation of the threaded shaft in onedirection causes the carriage assembly to move linearly from the firstend of the beam toward the second end of the beam and rotation of thethreaded shaft in an opposing direction causes the carriage assembly tomove linearly from the second end of the beam toward the first end ofthe beam.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the nut is moveablerelative to the housing.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein thecarriage frame has a first wear plate connected to the top side thereofso as to be in sliding contact with the first guide rail and a secondwear plate connected to the bottom side thereof so as to be in slidingcontact with the second guide rail.
 10. The apparatus of claim 7,wherein the threaded shaft is threaded from the first end thereof to thesecond end thereof.